One Month Before The Wedding
by dwangela
Summary: What happened one month before the wedding? (Originally posted on MTT)


The knock was so gentle that Dwight would never have heard it if he had been anywhere but his living room. Fate had never worked in his favor in the past, and this evening would be no exception. A Friday night could have found Dunder Mifflin's top salesman working late in the office, tending to acres of fertile farmland, participating in paint ball events, laser tagging, reading Mose a story by candle light in his bedroom, even watching a movie with the volume turned the whole way up for the ultimate immersion experience. Had a single one of these scenarios been a reality, he never would have heard the gentle rap at his door. He would curse this evening for months to come, tortured by the part of his past that he just couldn't seem to leave behind. Years later however, he would thank fate for the gift that this evening would finally leave him.

When an unsuspecting Dwight opened the door, his confusion only deepened. Haloed by his flickering porch light, Angela stood before him, an image he hadn't thought he would ever enjoy again. At a time that felt a lifetime ago, this would have characterized the start of an ordinary weekend that he would relive for years to come, but life had pulled apart their relationships at the seams until everything they had once had only existed in memories and pictures, both of which were buried beneath piles of something that could never quite resemble regret. A sea of memories now rushed to the forefront of Dwight's mind as he took in Angela, standing motionless in his doorway.

"Angela? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" he asked, the concern apparent in his tone.

"I-I... Do you mind if I come in?" she asked.

Dwight held the door for her, and led her to his couch. The pair sat a foot apart, facing each other. Silence hung between them as Angela adamantly studied her feet. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded foreign and far away.

"I really shouldn't have come here uninvited. I just, I don't know. It's weird saying it aloud, but I don't know. I'm so used to being so sure of myself. Everything is exactly how I've always wanted it. I have a stable job, strong religious convictions, a sensible fiancé, a chance at a family," she said as her eyes wandered the living room as if she had already forgotten his presence.

A long pause tempted Dwight to speak, but he decided against it. She was talking as if their relationship was still real, as if Sprinkles was alive and Andy and Robert didn't exist and she trusted him. They used to talk for hours, alone with the stars and sky above his farm when they never thought anything could tear them apart.

"I just, I'm not happy Dwight. Why do I feel unhappy?" she said softly.

Slowly, Dwight lifted a hand and rested it on her shoulder. Even after all these years, touching her still sent electricity coursing through his body.

"Don't you know what make you happy?" he asked.

Angela nodded so slightly that it was almost imperceptible.

"You," she whispered, meeting his eyes for the first time.

Dwight's eyes widened. Shock was his initial reaction, followed by happiness, and ending with anger. She was _engaged._ He had played this game before. She had promised that she loved him, and then made love to another man. He was tired of being the _other man_. If she loved him, why was she always running from him?

"Angela, you're engaged. You belong to Robert now," he finally replied, avoiding her intense stare.

Schrutes had very few weaknesses by nature. Superior genes exempted them from typical human struggles such as illness, but as the years progressed, he had continually struggled with a single weakness: Angela. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to escape her.

He had once thought he was capable of having a child with her, but he knew deep down he could never do that. He loved her, and to be so close yet so far would slowly kill him. He had tried to distract himself with Isabel, convincing himself that she could give him the superior children he longed for, and it had almost worked. Her charming intellect and shapely figure paired with a lovely face were all he could have theoretically desired in a partner, and then she had shown up. She had been jealous, and _hell,_ it was hot. Her protective nature and confident demeanor were all he could think about once he had washed the taste of Isabel from his mouth.

He had treated their contract as a matter of business, and he couldn't deal with that for the rest of his life. He needed so much more than a professional relationship with Angela, a relationship she clearly was not interested in. He was still very emotionally tied to her, and he had to get out of this mental relationship. He had played off their sex contract as unimportant to him, and when she finally pulled away, he felt numb. The relief he desired was nowhere to be found, and he just felt empty, watching her fall in love with a man who wasn't him. Then the ring appeared one day, taunting him as he worked, as he listened to her tell the story of how another man had staked his claim on her.

"The truth is... Robert doesn't fulfill me," she whispered. "Sexually," she breathed, blushing as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

Dwight's thoughts were instantly derailed with the addition of her last word. He longed for this moment for years, maybe not quite like this, but here she was. She didn't come offering to break off her engagement; her pride had always stood in the way. She could never be his again, and he was sure of it now, so the prospect of one last night sent his rationale tumbling in the form of a response.

"I bet I could fulfill you," Dwight whispered, moving closer to her.

"Well, I'd like to see you try," she smirked.

The battle in Dwight's mind was silenced by the sensation of Angela's lips as he crashed his into them. Years of longing and repression spilled from their mouths as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, gripping her face possessively as he kissed her, because letting go meant letting go _forever_. Her hands started in his hair, sliding down his back and pulling at his shirt until it was no longer bound to his pants. Dwight's lips moved from hers to her neck, sucking at it insistently. Angela moved her hands down to the buttons on his shirt, tugging until it was nothing more than a pile on the wooden floor. The space between their bodies lessened as their clothes fell to the ground until they were tangled limbs and heavy breathing and at home among the stars.

A month later, Angela would push Dwight from her mind and meet another man at the altar and promise him forever. 9 months later, she would clutch his child to her chest and swallow the truth. Pride and fear would hold them apart, but finally on a warm spring morning, the universe would right itself as Dwight kissed his wife for the whole world to see.


End file.
